Train-control system.



G. P. THURBER.

TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM.

APPLICATmN HLED MAR.12,11913.`

M 'Km/E By A TT ORNE Y Gi P. THURBER. TRAINcoNTRoL SYSTEM.

APPLlCATlON FILED"MAR. i12, 1913 Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(75mg l fm By M GUY 1?. THURBER, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAIN-CONTROL SYSTEM.

Leeuw.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY P. THURBER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train- Control Systems, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to train control systems, and has for its main object the prevention of the operation of the train controlling means when the speed of the train falls below a certain rate.

Accordingly one feature of the invention consists in a system having a normally closed train controlling circuit normally completed through the trafiic track, together with track means for preventing the passage of the current of the train circuit through the track, means on the train permitting the completion of the train controlling circuit without passing through the track normally inoperative, and automatic means controlled by the speed of the train for rendering saidl inoperative means operative when the speed of the train falls below a certain rate.

The train controlling circuit may be of any character and may be used for any purpose, such asjor the giving of a signal, but in its preferred form it exercises a control over suitable train controlling means.

The precise nature of the train controlling means will of course vary, depending upon whether steam or electricity is employed as a motive power, but as here shown, the train controlling means are suitably connected to the air brake system. In its preferred form the train controlling circuit is normally closed and normally -holds the train controlling means inoperative, and suitable track means are employed for rupturing said train controllin circuit.

Prefera ly an electro-magnetic device is utilized to hold the train controlling circuit closed, and `this train controlling circuit may be one circuit or a plurality of circuits.

A shunt is usually provided by which thetrain circuit may be restored temporarlly or whereby the electro-magnetic device is renergized. In addition to this I provide a shunt for preventing the denergization of the train controlling circuit by providing a shunt whereby the train circuit may be completed without passing through the track. This shunt is under'the control of the speed of the train, in such a way that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

Application filed March 12, 1913. Serial N0. 753,705.

the shunt is automatically closed when the speed of the train falls below a certain rate-thus rendering the train controlling means inoperative.

- The train preferably establishes connection with the traffic track by means of the two contacts, here the wheels or trucks of the train, and suitable insulation is provided i Ysection and removed.. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a ball governor operated speed controlled elementwith parts in section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, largely diagrammatic, of a generator and solenoid speed controlled element.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

1 indicates a traffic track and 2 is the train, which may be one `or more cars, represented by trucks 3 and 4 forming contacts electrically connecting the train with the track.

A primary circuit forming part of the train controlling circuit is provided composed of the conductor 5, armature 6, conductor 7 electro-magnetic device or relay 8, conductor 9 passing through insulation 10, battery or source of energy 11, conductor 12, conductor 13, truck 3, track 1, and truck 4. Suitable means for rupturing this circuit 4are provided consisting of the track insulation 14, and a jumper circuit 15, with armature 16 and-relay 17, forms a path around the insulation 14. When the jumper circuit.

is broken, 'tlm continuity of the train controlling circuit is ruptured and the relay 8v is denergized. Y Under the control of the rimary circuit is a subsidiary circuit as ollows: Afrom battery 18, conductor 19, armature 20, conductor 21, magnet valve 22, conductor 23, armature 24, conductors 25 and 26.

Obviously when the relay 8 is denergized not only will the armature 6 drop, but the armatures and 24 will likewise drop, thus denergizing the magnet valve 22. The

i magnet valve 22 controls the brake valve 27 which controls the escape or' lluid under pressure from the train line 28. l/Vhen the mag'- net valve 22 is energized the brake valve 27 is held closed or inoperative, and when the magnet valve is denergized the brake valve is opened. A supplementary circuit is also fed by the battery 18 as follows: through conductor 29', switch 30, conductor 31, light 32 and conductor 33.

A shunt is provided whereby the tra-in controlling circuit may be restored and the relay 8 energized temporarily as follows: conductor 34, switch 35, conductor 35, relay 8, conductor 9 and battery k11. Another shunt is provided whereby the denergization of the relay 8 may be prevented if the train is running below a certain rate of speed as follows: from battery 11, conductor 9, relay 8, conductor 35a, conductor 36, contact 37, contact member 38, contact 39, conductor 40, circuit closer 41, conductor 42 and conductor 12 to battery 11.

rlhe contact member 38 is normally so positioned as not to engage with the contacts 37 and 39, but upon the slowing down of the speed of the train, the contact member 38 will bridge the space between the contacts 37 and 39 and automatically complete the shunt, which is in effect a shunt around the insulations 10 and 14, permitting the train controlling circuit to be completed without passing through the track.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, 43 is a piston, moving in the chamber or cylinder 44, provided with a stem 45 carrying the contact member 38 and insulated portion 46. Springs 47 and 48 of substantially equal strength enga-ge either side of the piston 43 and tend to keep the latter in a central position. 48a and 49 are two intermeshing gears the piston 43 to the chamber 50 at a point intermediate the gears`48a and 49 on one side of the same. Another passage 56 extends from the cylinder 44 on the other side of the piston 43. to the chamber 50 at a point intermediate the gears 48a and 49 on the other side of the same. Passages 57 extend through the piston 43 from-one side to the other, of less capacity than the passages 55 and 56. `Assume now that the chamber 50 and the 'cylinder 44 are lilled with oil, the

i rotation'ot the gears 48a and 49, in either di- Lectrr? rection, will establish a circulation of the oil through the passages 55, 56 and 57, chamber 50 and cylinder 44, the space between the teeth of the gears and casing of the chamber 50 acting to hold the oil to convey the same. Owing to the fact, however, that the passages 57 have less capacity than the passages and 56, a choking eect will be established, if the gears 48a and 49 rotate at a considerable speed, and the piston 43 will be moved either up or down thereby bringing the contact member 38 out of engagement with the contacts 37 and 39, thereby breaking the shunt represented by the conductors 36 and 40. lf the speed of the train now decreases, the choking eiiect will cease or be diminished and the piston 43 will move to its central position whereby the contact member 38 will complete the shunt by engaging the contacts 37 and 39. By varying the relation between the size of the passages 55, 56 and 57, the speed at which the shunt will be closed can be regulated.

In Fig. 3, the contact member 38 is in the form of a ring and is mounted on a sleeve 58l provided with insulation 59. This sleeve 58 is slidingly and rotatably mounted on the upright shaft 60, which is driven by means of bevel gears Gland 62 from the axle 51 of the train. Carried by this sleeve 58 and by the collar 63 which is pinned to the shaft 6() at66 are pivoted arms 64 and ball governors 65. Interposed between the sleeve 58 and collar 63 is a spring 67 which normally tends to move the sleeve 58v downward so that the contact member 38 will engage with the contacts 37 and 39. At high speed the ball .governors 65 will move outwardly and raise the sleeve 58 until the shunt is broken, while at low speed the governors 65 will move inwardly and the shunt willbe resi tablished.

1n Fig. 4, the contact member 38 is a pivoted armature controlled by the solenoid 68.

The latter is energized from the shunt wound generator 69 by means of conductors 70 and 71. rEhe generator 69 is driven from the axle 51 of the train by means of gears 7 2 and 73. When the train is moving at high speed the current generated by 69 will energize the solenoid 68 and the plunger 74 will move upwardly thus breaking the shunt.

When the generator 69 is rotated slowly, gravity will move the plunger 74 downward thus establishing the shunt.

' What is claimed, is:

1. A system of train control comprising: a traiiic track, a train, train controlling `means, a normally closed circuit normally circuit closing condition regardless of the condition of said track circuit.

2. A system of train control comprising: a traffic track, a train, train controlling means, a normally closed circuit normally holding said train controlling means against operation, means including a circuit normally completed through said traffic track for holding said train controlling circuit closed, and means under the control of the engineer for maintaining said circuit closing means in circuit closing condition regardless of the condition of said track circuit.

3. A system of train control comprising: a traffic track, a train, train controlling means, a normally closed circuit normally holding said train controlling means against operation, means including a circuit normally completed through said traffic track for holding said train controlling circuit closed, and means controlled by the speed of the train including av manually operable means for maintaining said circuit closer in circuit closing condition regardless of the condition of said track circuit.

4. A system of train control comprising: a. traffic track, a train, train controlling means, a normally closed circuit normally holding said train controlling means against operation, means including a circuit normally completed through said traffic track or holding said train controlling circuit closed, means controlled by the speed of the train including a manually operable means for maintaining said circuit closer in circuit closing condition regardless of the condition of the track circuit, and means for maintaining said circuit closer in circuit closing condition regardless of the speed of the train and of the condition of said track circuit.

A system of train control comprising: a traiiic track, a train, train controlling de,- vices, a normally closed train controlling circuit, normally completed through the track, normally holding said train controlling means inoperative, track means for rupturing said train controlling circuit, means controlled by the speed of the train for automatically permitting said train circuit to be completed Without passing through the track When the speed of the train falls below a certain rate, and means for completing said train circuit Without passing through the track and regardless of the speed of the train.

6. A system of train control comprising:

.a traffic track, a train, train controlling means, a normally closed train controlling circuit normally completed through the track for holding said train controlling means inoperative, track means for interrupting said train controlling circuit, and means controlled by the speed of the train including a manually operable circuit closer for placing said train circuit in condition to be completed Without passing through the track when the speed of the train falls below a certain rate. 1

7. A system of train control comprising: a traffic track, a train, a train controlling circuit normally completed through the traffic track, a source of energy in said circuit, an electro-magnetic device for normally holdingsaid train circuit closed, means for denergizing said electro-magnetic device, and means controlled by the speed of the train and including a manually operable circuit closer whereby the denergization of the electro-magnetic device may be prevented when the speed of the train falls below a certain rate.

Signed at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, this 10th day of March, A. D. 1913.

GUY P. THURBER.

Vitnesses l R. D. GIBSON, A. Gnoss. 

